New York Times reporter Nick Kristof today published a column on the new HBO docudrama “Toxic Hot Seat,” scheduled to air on November 25, 2013. Unfortunately, Kristof and the directors of the docudrama have recycled old and incomplete information that paints a misleading picture about current regulations and the importance of flame retardants to fire […]

The peer-reviewed journal Fire Technology recently released a study showing that flame retardants do make a difference in preventing and slowing the spread of fire. The study also found that flame retardants do not appear to make smoke more toxic, a finding that will be of particular interest to fire fighters, many of whom have […]

The California Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation is ending its public comment period today, and the agency appears to be dangerously close to removing one of the state’s important fire safety standards. The proposed changes to Technical Bulletin 117 (TB 117) would eliminate the state’s progressive open flame test […]

The Asiana Airline crash in San Francisco that resulted in the tragic deaths of two Chinese students and injured scores of other passengers has raised many questions. But one thing is clear: The number of survivors is astounding. Several factors played a role, including flame retardant materials, used to meet FAA standards, which helped to […]

It has been a week since the comment period ended in California for TB-117-2013, a proposal that would remove the state’s open flame test for upholstered furniture, and already it is becoming clear that those with a grounded understanding of fire safety codes are weighing in on the side of keeping an open flame test. […]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a press release this week saying it would begin assessments on 23 commonly used chemicals, including some flame retardants, in order to fully understand their health and environmental effects. The North American Flame Retardant Alliance (NAFRA) is encouraged that EPA has undertaken an initial screening of a number […]

The California Department of Consumer Affairs Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation (the Bureau) is holding a hearing today to accept final public comments on a draft regulation that would eliminate the state’s open flame test for upholstered furniture. The hearing comes at a time when, according to the National […]

It’s important that industry maintain an ongoing dialogue with the scientific community. One example of how industry engages the deep knowledge of scientific experts comes from the North American Flame Retardant Alliance (NAFRA). NAFRA represents three of the world’s largest manufacturers of flame retardants — the chemicals that act to protect safety by helping to […]

Has the incidence of home fires in California dropped exponentially over the last four years? If so, it hasn’t been reported. We ask because the bureau that oversees fire regulations for home furnishings has drastically changed its tune on the state’s open flame regulations, in Technical Bulletin 117, for upholstered furniture. Since 2008, that bureau […]

A national trade publication today released an exhaustively researched article on flame retardants (“Ablaze Over Furniture Fires”) that sheds light on how leading experts view the chemicals. We found the following observations, as reported by William G. Schulz of Chemical & Engineering News, particularly insightful. Regarding some efforts to reduce fire-safety standards: Regarding a National Institute of […]